1
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Benitah KC, Kavaliers M, Ossenkopp KP. The enteric metabolite, propionic acid, impairs social behavior and increases anxiety in a rodent ASD model: Examining sex differences and the influence of the estrous cycle. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2023; 231:173630. [PMID: 37640163 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2023.173630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Revised: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
Research suggests that certain gut and dietary factors may worsen behavioral features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Treatment with propionic acid (PPA) has been found to create both brain and behavioral responses in rats that are characteristic of ASD in humans. A consistent male bias in human ASD prevalence has been observed, and several sex-differential genetic and hormonal factors have been suggested to contribute to this bias. The majority of PPA studies in relation to ASD focus on male subjects; research examining the effects of PPA in females is scarce. The present study includes two experiments. Experiment 1 explored sex differences in the effects of systemic administration of PPA (500 mg/kg, ip) on adult rodent social behavior and anxiety (light-dark test). Experiment 2 investigated differential effects of systemic administration of PPA (500 mg/kg) on social behavior and anxiety in relation to fluctuating estrogen and progesterone levels during the adult rodent estrous cycle. PPA treatment impaired social behavior and increased anxiety in females to the same degree in comparison to PPA-treated males. As well, females treated with PPA in their diestrus phase did not differ significantly in comparison to females administered PPA in their proestrus phase, in terms of reduced social behavior and increased anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie C Benitah
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Martin Kavaliers
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Klaus-Peter Ossenkopp
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.
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2
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Tan ML, Xie CT, Tu X, Li YW, Chen QL, Shen YJ, Liu ZH. Short daylight photoperiod alleviated alarm substance-stimulated fear response of zebrafish. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2023; 338:114274. [PMID: 36940834 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2023.114274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Revised: 03/11/2023] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2023]
Abstract
Photoperiod has been well-documented to be involved in regulating many activities of animals. However, whether photoperiod takes part in mood control, such as fear response in fish and the underlying mode(s) of action remain unclear. In this study, adult zebrafish males and females (Danio rerio) were exposed to different photoperiods, Blank (12 h light: 12 h dark), Control (12 h light: 12 h dark), Short daylight (SD, 6 h light: 18 h dark) and Long daylight (LD, 18 h light: 6 h dark) for 28 days. After exposure, fear response of the fish was investigated using a novel tank diving test. After alarm substance administration, the onset to higher half, total duration in lower half and duration of freezing in SD-fish were significantly decreased, suggesting that short daylight photoperiod is capable of alleviating fear response in zebrafish. In contrast, comparing with the Control, LD didn't show significant effect on fear response of the fish. Further investigation revealed that SD increased the levels of melatonin (MT), serotonin (5-HT) and dopamine (DA) in the brain while decreased the plasma level of cortisol comparing to the Control. Moreover, the expressions of genes in MT, 5-HT and DA pathways and HPI axis were also altered consistently. Our data indicated that short daylight photoperiod might alleviate fear response of zebrafish probably through interfering with MT/5-HT/DA pathways and HPI axis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mei-Ling Tan
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Animal Biology, College of Life Sciences, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing 401331, China
| | - Cheng-Ting Xie
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Animal Biology, College of Life Sciences, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing 401331, China
| | - Xin Tu
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Animal Biology, College of Life Sciences, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing 401331, China
| | - Ying-Wen Li
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Animal Biology, College of Life Sciences, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing 401331, China
| | - Qi-Liang Chen
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Animal Biology, College of Life Sciences, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing 401331, China
| | - Yan-Jun Shen
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Animal Biology, College of Life Sciences, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing 401331, China
| | - Zhi-Hao Liu
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Animal Biology, College of Life Sciences, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing 401331, China.
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3
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San-Jose LM, Bestion E, Pellerin F, Richard M, Di Gesu L, Salmona J, Winandy L, Legrand D, Bonneaud C, Guillaume O, Calvez O, Elmer KR, Yurchenko AA, Recknagel H, Clobert J, Cote J. Investigating the genetic basis of vertebrate dispersal combining RNA-seq, RAD-seq and quantitative genetics. Mol Ecol 2023. [PMID: 36872057 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Revised: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 03/07/2023]
Abstract
Although animal dispersal is known to play key roles in ecological and evolutionary processes such as colonization, population extinction and local adaptation, little is known about its genetic basis, particularly in vertebrates. Untapping the genetic basis of dispersal should deepen our understanding of how dispersal behaviour evolves, the molecular mechanisms that regulate it and link it to other phenotypic aspects in order to form the so-called dispersal syndromes. Here, we comprehensively combined quantitative genetics, genome-wide sequencing and transcriptome sequencing to investigate the genetic basis of natal dispersal in a known ecological and evolutionary model of vertebrate dispersal: the common lizard, Zootoca vivipara. Our study supports the heritability of dispersal in semi-natural populations, with less variation attributable to maternal and natal environment effects. In addition, we found an association between natal dispersal and both variation in the carbonic anhydrase (CA10) gene, and in the expression of several genes (TGFB2, SLC6A4, NOS1) involved in central nervous system functioning. These findings suggest that neurotransmitters (serotonin and nitric oxide) are involved in the regulation of dispersal and shaping dispersal syndromes. Several genes from the circadian clock (CRY2, KCTD21) were also differentially expressed between disperser and resident lizards, supporting that the circadian rhythm, known to be involved in long-distance migration in other taxa, might affect dispersal as well. Since neuronal and circadian pathways are relatively well conserved across vertebrates, our results are likely to be generalisable, and we therefore encourage future studies to further investigate the role of these pathways in shaping dispersal in vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis M San-Jose
- Laboratoire Évolution and Diversité Biologique, UMR 5174, CNRS, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, IRD, Toulouse, France
| | - Elvire Bestion
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale, UAR 2029, CNRS, Moulis, France
| | - Félix Pellerin
- Laboratoire Évolution and Diversité Biologique, UMR 5174, CNRS, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, IRD, Toulouse, France
| | - Murielle Richard
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale, UAR 2029, CNRS, Moulis, France
| | - Lucie Di Gesu
- Laboratoire Évolution and Diversité Biologique, UMR 5174, CNRS, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, IRD, Toulouse, France
| | - Jordi Salmona
- Laboratoire Évolution and Diversité Biologique, UMR 5174, CNRS, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, IRD, Toulouse, France
| | - Laurane Winandy
- Laboratoire Évolution and Diversité Biologique, UMR 5174, CNRS, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, IRD, Toulouse, France
| | - Delphine Legrand
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale, UAR 2029, CNRS, Moulis, France
| | - Camille Bonneaud
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, Biosciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall, UK
| | - Olivier Guillaume
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale, UAR 2029, CNRS, Moulis, France
| | - Olivier Calvez
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale, UAR 2029, CNRS, Moulis, France
| | - Kathryn R Elmer
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Andrey A Yurchenko
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Hans Recknagel
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Jean Clobert
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale, UAR 2029, CNRS, Moulis, France
| | - Julien Cote
- Laboratoire Évolution and Diversité Biologique, UMR 5174, CNRS, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, IRD, Toulouse, France
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4
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Lee NS, Beery AK. Selectivity and Sociality: Aggression and Affiliation Shape Vole Social Relationships. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:826831. [PMID: 35330842 PMCID: PMC8940285 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.826831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The formation of selective social relationships is not a requirement of group living; sociality can be supported by motivation for social interaction in the absence of preferences for specific individuals, and by tolerance in place of social motivation. For species that form selective social relationships, these can be maintained by preference for familiar partners, as well as by avoidance of or aggression toward individuals outside of the social bond. In this review, we explore the roles that aggression, motivation, and tolerance play in the maintenance of selective affiliation. We focus on prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) and meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus) as rodent species that both exhibit the unusual tendency to form selective social relationships, but differ with regard to mating system. These species provide an opportunity to investigate the mechanisms that underlie social relationships, and to compare mechanisms supporting pair bonds with mates and same-sex peer relationships. We then relate this to the role of aggression in group composition in a comparative context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole S. Lee
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Colgate University, Hamilton, NY, United States
| | - Annaliese K. Beery
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
- *Correspondence: Annaliese K. Beery,
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5
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Beery AK, Lopez SA, Blandino KL, Lee NS, Bourdon NS. Social selectivity and social motivation in voles. eLife 2021; 10:e72684. [PMID: 34726153 PMCID: PMC8594915 DOI: 10.7554/elife.72684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Selective relationships are fundamental to humans and many other animals, but relationships between mates, family members, or peers may be mediated differently. We examined connections between social reward and social selectivity, aggression, and oxytocin receptor signaling pathways in rodents that naturally form enduring, selective relationships with mates and peers (monogamous prairie voles) or peers (group-living meadow voles). Female prairie and meadow voles worked harder to access familiar versus unfamiliar individuals, regardless of sex, and huddled extensively with familiar subjects. Male prairie voles displayed strongly selective huddling preferences for familiar animals, but only worked harder to repeatedly access females versus males, with no difference in effort by familiarity. This reveals a striking sex difference in pathways underlying social monogamy and demonstrates a fundamental disconnect between motivation and social selectivity in males-a distinction not detected by the partner preference test. Meadow voles exhibited social preferences but low social motivation, consistent with tolerance rather than reward supporting social groups in this species. Natural variation in oxytocin receptor binding predicted individual variation in prosocial and aggressive behaviors. These results provide a basis for understanding species, sex, and individual differences in the mechanisms underlying the role of social reward in social preference.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annaliese K Beery
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
- Program in Neuroscience, Departments of Psychology and Biology, Smith CollegeNorthamptonUnited States
- Neuroscience and Behavior Graduate Program, University of MassachusettsAmherst, MAUnited States
| | - Sarah A Lopez
- Program in Neuroscience, Departments of Psychology and Biology, Smith CollegeNorthamptonUnited States
| | - Katrina L Blandino
- Program in Neuroscience, Departments of Psychology and Biology, Smith CollegeNorthamptonUnited States
| | - Nicole S Lee
- Neuroscience and Behavior Graduate Program, University of MassachusettsAmherst, MAUnited States
| | - Natalie S Bourdon
- Program in Neuroscience, Departments of Psychology and Biology, Smith CollegeNorthamptonUnited States
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6
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Bishnoi IR, Ossenkopp KP, Kavaliers M. Sex and age differences in locomotor and anxiety-like behaviors in rats: From adolescence to adulthood. Dev Psychobiol 2020; 63:496-511. [PMID: 33047845 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Revised: 08/10/2020] [Accepted: 08/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Risk-taking behaviors are a primary contributor to elevated adolescent injury and mortality. Locomotor and anxiety-like behaviors in rodents have been used to examine risk-taking. Here, we examined risk-taking behavior (i.e., changes in locomotor and anxiety-like behaviors) from early to late adolescence and adulthood in male and female rats in the open-field (OF) apparatus and the light-dark (LD) test. We also examined whether these behaviors are affected by an early adolescent immune stressor, lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Long-Evans male and female rats were injected with LPS (200 μg/kg) or vehicle control in early adolescence (postnatal day [PND] 30 and 32). Anxiety-like behavior and locomotor activity were measured in early (PND 38-40), late adolescence (PND 50), and adulthood (PND 88 and 98) in the OF and in early adolescence (PND 42) and adulthood (PND 90) in the LD test. Early and late adolescent rats displayed significantly greater locomotor and anxiety-like behaviors than adult rats in the OF and LD test. Sex differences were also found, with adolescent and adult females displaying greater locomotor and anxiety-like behaviors than male rats in the OF and LD tests. LPS administered two times in early adolescence did not have a significant impact on either locomotor or anxiety-like behaviors suggesting minimal impact of the immune stressor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Indra R Bishnoi
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Western University, London, ON, Canada.,Department of Psychology, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Klaus-Peter Ossenkopp
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Western University, London, ON, Canada.,Department of Psychology, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Martin Kavaliers
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Western University, London, ON, Canada.,Department of Psychology, Western University, London, ON, Canada
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7
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Stress in groups: Lessons from non-traditional rodent species and housing models. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 113:354-372. [PMID: 32278793 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.03.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2019] [Revised: 03/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/31/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
A major feature of life in groups is that individuals experience social stressors of varying intensity and type. Social stress can have profound effects on health, social behavior, and ongoing relationships. Relationships can also buffer the experience of exogenous stressors. Social stress has most commonly been investigated in dyadic contexts in mice and rats that produce intense stress. Here we review findings from studies of diverse rodents and non-traditional group housing paradigms, focusing on laboratory studies of mice and rats housed in visible burrow systems, prairie and meadow voles, and mole-rats. We argue that the use of methods informed by the natural ecology of rodent species provides novel insights into the relationship between social stress, behavior and physiology. In particular, we describe how this ethologically inspired approach reveals how individuals vary in their experience of and response to social stress, and how ecological and social contexts impact the effects of stress. Social stress induces adaptive changes, as well as long-term disruptive effects on behavior and physiology.
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8
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On Wah DT, Kavaliers M, Bishnoi IR, Ossenkopp KP. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced sickness in early adolescence alters the behavioral effects of the short-chain fatty acid, propionic acid, in late adolescence and adulthood: Examining anxiety and startle reactivity. Behav Brain Res 2019; 360:312-322. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2018.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2018] [Revised: 11/29/2018] [Accepted: 12/01/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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9
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Wah DTO, Ossenkopp KP, Bishnoi I, Kavaliers M. Predator odor exposure in early adolescence influences the effects of the bacterial product, propionic acid, on anxiety, sensorimotor gating, and acoustic startle response in male rats in later adolescence and adulthood. Physiol Behav 2019; 199:35-46. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2018.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2018] [Revised: 11/03/2018] [Accepted: 11/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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10
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Beery AK. Frank Beach award winner: Neuroendocrinology of group living. Horm Behav 2019; 107:67-75. [PMID: 30439353 PMCID: PMC6371784 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2018.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2018] [Revised: 10/31/2018] [Accepted: 11/09/2018] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Why do members of some species live in groups while others are solitary? Group living (sociality) has often been studied from an evolutionary perspective, but less is known about the neurobiology of affiliation outside the realms of mating and parenting. Colonial species offer a valuable opportunity to study nonsexual affiliative behavior between adult peers. Meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus) display environmentally induced variation in social behavior, maintaining exclusive territories in summer months, but living in social groups in winter. Research on peer relationships in female meadow voles demonstrates that these selective preferences are mediated differently than mate relationships in socially monogamous prairie voles, but are also impacted by oxytocin and HPA axis signaling. This review addresses day-length dependent variation in physiology and behavior, and presents the current understanding of the mechanisms supporting selective social relationships in meadow voles, with connections to lessons from other species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annaliese K Beery
- Department of Psychology, Department of Biology, Program in Neuroscience, Smith College, Northampton, MA 01063, United States of America.
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11
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Anacker AMJ, Reitz KM, Goodwin NL, Beery AK. Stress impairs new but not established relationships in seasonally social voles. Horm Behav 2016; 79:52-7. [PMID: 26777726 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2016.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2015] [Revised: 12/29/2015] [Accepted: 01/12/2016] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Affiliative social relationships are impacted by stressors and can shape responses to stress. However, the effects of stress on social relationships in different contexts are not well understood. Meadow voles provide an opportunity to study these effects on peer relationships outside of a reproductive context. In winter months, female meadow voles cohabit with peers of both sexes, and social huddling is facilitated by exposure to short, winter-like day lengths in the lab. We investigated the role of stress and corticosterone (cort) levels in social behavior in short day-housed female meadow voles. A brief forced swim elevated cort levels, and we assessed the effects of this stressor on new and established relationships between females. In pairs formed following exposure to swim stress, the stressor significantly reduced the fraction of huddling time subjects spent with a familiar partner. Swim stress did not affect partner preferences in pairs established prior to the stressor. Finally, we examined fecal glucocorticoid metabolite levels via immunoassay in voles housed under short day (10h light) versus long day (14 h light) conditions and detected higher glucocorticoid levels in long day-housed voles. These findings support a role for stress regulation in the formation of social relationships in female meadow voles, and are consistent with a potential role for seasonal variation in cort in the behavioral transition from solitary to social. Together they highlight the importance of stress and possibly glucocorticoid signaling for social behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison M J Anacker
- Program in Neuroscience, Smith College, Northampton, MA 01063, United States
| | - Kara M Reitz
- Program in Neuroscience, Smith College, Northampton, MA 01063, United States
| | - Nastacia L Goodwin
- Department of Psychology, Smith College, Northampton, MA 01063, United States
| | - Annaliese K Beery
- Program in Neuroscience, Smith College, Northampton, MA 01063, United States; Department of Psychology, Smith College, Northampton, MA 01063, United States; Department of Biology, Smith College, Northampton, MA 01063, United States.
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12
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Banasikowski TJ, Cloutier CJ, Ossenkopp KP, Kavaliers M. Repeated exposure of male mice to low doses of lipopolysaccharide: dose and time dependent development of behavioral sensitization and tolerance in an automated light-dark anxiety test. Behav Brain Res 2015; 286:241-8. [PMID: 25746457 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2015.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2015] [Revised: 02/26/2015] [Accepted: 03/02/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Although lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is widely used to examine immune behavior relationships there has been little consideration of the effects of low doses and the roles of sensitization and, or tolerance. Here low doses of LPS (1.0, 5.0 and 25.0 μg/kg) were peripherally administered to male mice on Days 1, 4, 28 and 32 after a baseline recording of anxiety-like behaviors in an automated light-dark apparatus (total time in the light chamber, number of light-dark transitions, nose pokes into the light chamber). LPS at 1.0 μg/kg, while having no significant effects on anxiety-like behaviors in the light-dark test on Days 1 and 4, displayed sensitization with the mice exhibiting significantly enhanced anxiety-like responses on Days 28 and 32. LPS at 5.0 μg/kg had no consistent significant effects on anxiety-like behavior on Days 1 and 4, with sensitization and enhanced anxiety-like behaviors on Day 28 followed by tolerance on Day 32. LPS at 25 μg/kg significantly enhanced anxiety-like behaviors on Day 1, followed by tolerance on Day 4, which was not evident by Day 28 and re-emerged on Day 32. There was a similar overall pattern of sensitization and tolerance for LPS-induced decreases in locomotor activity in the safe dark chamber, without, however, any significant effects on activity in the riskier light chamber. This shows that low doses of LPS induce anxiety-like behavior and these effects are subject to sensitization and tolerance in a dose, context, and time related manner.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Caylen J Cloutier
- Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
| | - Klaus-Peter Ossenkopp
- Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada; Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
| | - Martin Kavaliers
- Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada; Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.
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13
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Beery AK, Vahaba DM, Grunberg DM. Corticotropin-releasing factor receptor densities vary with photoperiod and sociality. Horm Behav 2014; 66:779-86. [PMID: 25284436 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2014.08.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2014] [Revised: 08/05/2014] [Accepted: 08/06/2014] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Life in social groups relies on prosocial behaviors as well as on reduction of antisocial behaviors such as aggression and territoriality. The mechanisms supporting variation in behaviors that give rise to group living (sociality) are largely unknown. Female meadow voles exhibit natural seasonal variation in sociality: females are aggressive and territorial in summer, while in winter they share burrows and nest in mixed-sex groups. This behavioral shift is paralleled in the lab by day length-dependent variation in partner preference formation and social huddling. We exploit natural variation in meadow vole sociality in order to examine changes in neural pathways that coincide with environmental and behavioral variations. Mounting evidence suggests that the corticotropin-releasing factor system, encompassing multiple peptides and two receptor subtypes (CRF1 and CRF2), may play an important role in regulating social behaviors. We report day-length dependent variation in CRF1 and CRF2 receptor binding in female meadow voles, and relate these findings to previously collected oxytocin receptor (OTR) binding data and behavioral data for the same individuals. CRF1 receptor binding was greater in summer-like long day lengths (LD), particularly in the hippocampus, while CRF2 receptor binding was greater in winter-like short day lengths (SD) in the cingulate cortex and hippocampus. OTR varied with day length in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, nucleus accumbens, and hippocampus. SD voles huddled more extensively than LD voles, and greater huddling time was associated with more CRF1 receptor binding and less CRF2 receptor binding in subregions of the lateral septum. CRF2 receptor associations with behavior mirrored those of OTR in the lateral septum. Finally, estradiol treatment affected density of CRF receptors in multiple brain regions. CRF receptors and their ligands are promising candidates for enhancing understanding of the regulation of non-sexual social behavior between group living peers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annaliese K Beery
- Department of Psychology, Department of Biology, Program in Neuroscience, Smith College, Northampton, MA 01063, USA; Neuroscience and Behavior Graduate Program, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA.
| | - Daniel M Vahaba
- Neuroscience and Behavior Graduate Program, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
| | - Diana M Grunberg
- Department of Psychology, Department of Biology, Program in Neuroscience, Smith College, Northampton, MA 01063, USA
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14
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Bilu C, Kronfeld-Schor N. Effects of circadian phase and melatonin injection on anxiety-like behavior in nocturnal and diurnal rodents. Chronobiol Int 2013; 30:828-36. [PMID: 23750894 DOI: 10.3109/07420528.2013.773439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Animals show daily rhythms in most bodily functions, resulting from the integration of information from an endogenous circadian clock and external stimuli. These rhythms are adaptive and are expected to be related to activity patterns, i.e., to be opposite in diurnal and nocturnal species. Melatonin is secreted during the night in all mammalian species, regardless of their activity patterns. Consequently, in diurnal species the nocturnal secretion of melatonin is concurrent with the resting phase, whereas in nocturnal species it is related to an increase in activity. In this research, we examined in three diurnal and three nocturnal rodent species whether a daily rhythm in anxiety-like behavior exists; whether it differs between nocturnal and diurnal species; and how melatonin affects anxiety-like behavior in species with different activity patterns. Anxiety-like behavior levels were analyzed using the elevated plus-maze. We found a daily rhythm in anxiety-like behavior and a significant response to daytime melatonin administration in all three nocturnal species, which showed significantly lower levels of anxiety during the dark phase, and after melatonin administration. The diurnal species showed either an inverse pattern to that of the nocturnal species in anxiety-like behavior rhythm and in response to daytime melatonin injection, or no rhythm and, accordingly, no response to melatonin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmel Bilu
- Department of Zoology, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
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15
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Vlautin CT, Ferkin MH. The influence of predator and conspecific odor on sex differences in path choice in meadow voles. BEHAVIOUR 2012. [DOI: 10.1163/156853912x630272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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16
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Interactions of the serotonin and circadian systems: nature and nurture in rhythms and blues. Neuroscience 2011; 197:8-16. [PMID: 21963350 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2011.09.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2011] [Revised: 09/08/2011] [Accepted: 09/16/2011] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
The serotonin and circadian systems are principal regulatory networks of the brain. Each consists of a unique set of neurons that make widespread neural connections and a defined gene network of transcriptional regulators and signaling genes that subserve serotonergic and circadian function at the genetic level. These master regulatory networks of the brain are extensively intertwined, with reciprocal circuit connections, expression of key genetic elements for serotonin signaling in clock neurons and expression of key clock genes in serotonergic neurons. The reciprocal connections of the serotonin and circadian systems likely have importance for neurobehavioral disorders, as suggested by their convergent contribution to a similar range of mood disorders including seasonal affective disorder (SAD), bipolar disorder, and major depression, and as suggested by their overlapping relationship with the developmental disorder, autism spectrum disorder. Here we review the neuroanatomical and genetic basis for serotonin-circadian interactions in the brain, their potential relationship with neurobehavioral disorders, and recent work examining the effects on the circadian system of genetic perturbation of the serotonergic system as well as the molecular and behavioral effects of developmental imprinting of the circadian system with perinatal seasonal light cycles.
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Krivisky K, Ashkenazy T, Kronfeld-Schor N, Einat H. Antidepressants reverse short-photoperiod-induced, forced swim test depression-like behavior in the diurnal fat sand rat: further support for the utilization of diurnal rodents for modeling affective disorders. Neuropsychobiology 2011; 63:191-6. [PMID: 21304227 DOI: 10.1159/000321805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2010] [Accepted: 09/27/2010] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Recent findings demonstrate strong links between abnormalities in circadian rhythms and sleep and the etiology, pathophysiology and treatment of major affective disorders. Further exploration of these interactions requires the development, identification and utilization of good and predictive animal models. The biology and behavior related to circadian rhythms are significantly different in diurnal and nocturnal rodents. Accordingly, it is possible that exploring the interactions between these mechanisms and affective change in diurnal animals may be advantageous. Recent studies demonstrate that diurnal fat sand rats and Nile grass rats show depression-like behavior when maintained under short-photoperiod (SP) conditions compared with animals maintained under neutral photoperiod (NP) conditions. Moreover, these behaviors were ameliorated after treatment with bright light. The present study further explores the possible utility of sand rats as animal models by testing the effects of antidepressants on the SP-induced depression-like behaviors of sand rats. Sand rats maintained in SP or NP conditions for 3 weeks were treated subchronically (5 injections) with the clinically effective antidepressant bupropion, and their behavior was tested in a number of depression-related tests. Results show that antidepressant treatment reverses the effects of SP conditions in the forced swim test, but that neither SP conditions nor antidepressants influenced sweet solution preference. These results partly support the validity of the sand rat model, but suggest that not all tests that were validated in nocturnal laboratory rodents can be applied to other rodent species and that additional tests should be applied to further explore the validity of the model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katy Krivisky
- Department of Zoology, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
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18
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Workman JL, Nelson RJ. Potential animal models of seasonal affective disorder. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2010; 35:669-79. [PMID: 20800614 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2010.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2010] [Revised: 08/13/2010] [Accepted: 08/19/2010] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is characterized by depressive episodes during winter that are alleviated during summer and by morning bright light treatment. Currently, there is no animal model of SAD. However, it may be possible to use rodents that respond to day length (photoperiod) to understand how photoperiod can shape the brain and behavior in humans. As nights lengthen in the autumn, the duration of the nightly elevation of melatonin increase; seasonally breeding animals use this information to orchestrate seasonal changes in physiology and behavior. SAD may originate from the extended duration of nightly melatonin secretion during fall and winter. These similarities between humans and rodents in melatonin secretion allows for comparisons with rodents that express more depressive-like responses when exposed to short day lengths. For instance, Siberian hamsters, fat sand rats, Nile grass rats, and Wistar rats display a depressive-like phenotype when exposed to short days. Current research in depression and animal models of depression suggests that hippocampal plasticity may underlie the symptoms of depression and depressive-like behaviors, respectively. It is also possible that day length induces structural changes in human brains. Many seasonally breeding rodents undergo changes in whole brain and hippocampal volume in short days. Based on strict validity criteria, there is no animal model of SAD, but rodents that respond to reduced day lengths may be useful to approximate the neurobiological phenomena that occur in people with SAD, leading to greater understanding of the etiology of the disorder as well as novel therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna L Workman
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43201, USA.
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Ashkenazy T, Einat H, Kronfeld-Schor N. Effects of bright light treatment on depression- and anxiety-like behaviors of diurnal rodents maintained on a short daylight schedule. Behav Brain Res 2009; 201:343-6. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2009.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2009] [Revised: 02/26/2009] [Accepted: 03/03/2009] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
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We are in the dark here: induction of depression- and anxiety-like behaviours in the diurnal fat sand rat, by short daylight or melatonin injections. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2009; 12:83-93. [PMID: 18631427 DOI: 10.1017/s1461145708009115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Circadian rhythms are considered an important factor in the aetiology, expression and treatment of major affective disorders, including seasonal affective disorder (SAD). However, data on the effects of daylight length manipulation or melatonin administration are complex. It has been suggested that since diurnal and nocturnal mammals differ significantly in their physiological and behavioural responses to daylight, diurnal rodents offer a preferable model of disorders related to circadian rhythms in the diurnal human. We previously found that diurnal fat sand rats maintained under short daylight (SD), show depression-like behaviour in the forced swim test (FST). The present study was designed to test additional behaviours related to affective disorders and study the involvement of melatonin in these behaviours. Sand rats were divided into short-daylight (SD, 5 h light:19 h dark) and long-daylight (LD, 12 h light:12 h dark) groups, and received 100 microg melatonin or vehicle administration for 3 wk (5 h and 8.5 h after light onset in the LD room). Animals were then tested for reward-seeking behaviour (saccharin consumption), anxiety (elevated plus-maze), aggression (resident-intruder test), and depression-like behaviour (FST). SD or melatonin administration resulted in a depressed/anxious-like behavioural phenotype including reduced reward seeking, increased anxiety, decreased aggression and decreased activity in the FST, supporting the notion that in a diurnal animal, reduced light results in a variety of behavioural changes that may model depression and anxiety; and that melatonin may be a significant factor in these changes. We suggest that the sand rat may offer an excellent model species to explore the interactions between daylight, affective behaviour and the related underlying mechanisms.
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